Cheerleaders

When you go to a college or high school sports event, you see cheerleaders. Cheerleaders are male and female. They dress in the colors of their team. They jump and dance in front of the crowd and shout the name of their team. Their job is to excite the crowd. Everybody makes a lot of noise. They want their team to win the game.

The first cheerleader was a man. In 1898, Johnny Campbell jumped in front of the crowd at the University of Minnesota and shouted for his team. He shouted, "Hoo-rah Minn-e-so-tah!" This was the first organized shout, or "yell." For the next thirty-two years cheerlead­ers were men only. Women were not cheerleaders until 1930.

Today cheerleaders work in teams. They practice special shouts, dances, and athletic shows. Often the women work separately from the men. But cheerleaders are most exciting when men and wom­en work together. The men throw the women high in the air and catch them. The team members climb on each other's shoulders to make a human pyramid. They yell and dance too. It is like human fireworks.

Cheerleaders now have their own contests. Every year there are local, state, and national contests for cheerleaders. The best teams make new, faster, and more exciting shows to be the best. And the crowd shouts. They want their cheerleaders to win.

Vocabulary

What is the meaning of the underlined words? Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. At a college or high school sports event, you see cheerleaders.

1. race or competition

2. dance

2. Cheerleaders dress in the colors of their team.

1. the group of teachers they support

2. the group of sports people they support

3. The job of cheerleaders is to excite the crowd.

1. make the crowd have strong feelings

2. make the crowd calm

4. Cheerleaders yell and dance.

1. sing

2. shout

5. Often the women work separately from the men.

1. apart

2. with

6. Cheerleaders climb on each other's shoulders and make a human pyramid.

1. shape which is square at the bottom and meets at a point at the top

2. shape which is round

7. Cheerleaders have their own contests.

1. costumes

2. competitions

8. Every year there are contests which are local.

1. in the area where they live

2. very important

Comprehension

A. Looking for Main Ideas

Write complete answers to these questions.

1. Where do you see cheerleaders?

2. Who was the first cheerleader?

3. How do cheerleaders work today?

B. Looking for Details

One word in each sentence is not correct. Cross out the one and write the correct answer above it.

1. Cheerleaders dress in the color of their pyramid.

2. Cheerleaders jump and dress in front of the crowd.

3. Cheerleaders want their team to win the dance.

4. Cheerleaders are girls and women.

5. Men were not cheerleaders until 1930.

6. In 1898, Johnny Campbell jumped in front of the pyramid.

Halloween

On October 31, Americans celebrate Halloween. Halloween means "holy" (hallow) "evening"(een). This is the evening before the Christian holy day of All Saints Day. On All Saints Day, Christians remember the saints. But Halloween is even older than Christianity.

Before Christianity, people in Europe believed that on October 31 ghosts of dead people came back. To scare the ghosts, people dressed like devils and were very noisy. They also made big fires to keep the ghosts away. Later, people did not believe in ghosts, but they kept the day of Halloween for fun.

Immigrants came from Europe to America and brought with them the custom of Halloween. Halloween has some strange symbols. One symbol is the jack-o'-lantern in the window. The jack-o'-lantern is to scare the ghosts. People cut the pumpkin, throw away all of the inside, and cut a face in it.

Then they' put a candle inside of it. Jack-o'-lanterns usually look scary, too!

Today, in the United States, Halloween is very popular with children. They wear masks and special costumes.

They want to look like skeletons and ghosts. Then they go from house to house and say, "Trick or treat!" People give them candies, cookies, or fruit. When people give nothing, the children some­times play tricks on them.